In a statement, Century 21 said it had revenues of 48.6 million euros, 17% more than in year-on-year terms, while sales volume reached 1,767 million euros, around 3% more than announced a year ago.

The company, which does not disclose net results, mediated 8,830 transactions in the first six months of the year, with 71% of sales being made to national customers.

Among the main international buyers are the USA, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The average sales price in the first six months fell 4% year-on-year, to 190,429 euros, a reduction that demonstrates the "impact of limiting the purchasing power of the Portuguese".

According to the real estate agency, buyers have been reviewing their home selection criteria, giving up size (opting for smaller houses), and selecting different areas of the city or other locations on the outskirts.

Challenges

Among the challenges identified for the sector, Century 21 states that Portugal has "a structural problem" and highlights two measures in the Government program that "require a broad consensus and commitment" between parties and municipalities: the expansion and modernization of urban mobility and the review of the General Regulation for Urban Buildings and municipal master plans.

As for the IMT and Stamp Tax exemption measure and the public guarantee for financing the first home for young people aged 35, the real estate company considered that they do not entirely solve young people's problems.

"Let's be realistic: the real barrier to the acquisition of property by young Portuguese people goes far beyond taxes. Low income and the precariousness of first jobs are much more significant obstacles, which tax exemption does not solve", stated the executive president of Century21 Portugal, Ricardo Sousa.

"It is crucial to be able to increase the supply of properties, especially in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon, Porto, and Algarve", he defended